PDF processed with CutePDF evaluation edition FWBO and TBMSG News: www.CutePDF.com Collected stories October-December 2007 on the web at: www.fwbo-news.org | [email protected] About us: Previous posts by topic: The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) Africa, Ambedkar, Arts, Aryaloka, Australia, BBC, www.fwbo.org was founded in 1967 by Sangharakshita. Berlin, Birmingham, Bodh Gaya, Breathworks, Brighton, Bristol, Buddhafield, Cambridge, Canada, Cardiff, Carers It is now an international movement with activities in more retreats, Children, China, Clear Vision, Croydon, Death, than 20 countries, including India, where it is known as the Delhi, Dhammakranti, Dharmaduta, Dublin, Education, TBMSG, the 'Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Sahayaka Engaged Buddhism, France, Fundraising, Germany, Gana'. Health, Holland, Hungary, India, INEB, Interbuddhist, Interfaith, Ireland, Jobs, Johannesburg, Karuna, Kerala, At its heart is the Western Buddhist Order, a community of LBC, Malaysia, Manchester, Meditation, Mumbai, over 1,500 ordained men and women of all ages and from all Nagpur, Nepal, New Zealand, Newcastle, North London, walks of life, united by their common commitment to the Nottingham, NVC, Obituaries, Ordinations, Parents, Paris, Three Jewels of Buddhism. Pilgrimage, Poland, Preceptors, Prisons, Radio, Right Livelihood, San Francisco, Sangharakshita, Schools, The FWBO/TBMSG is a non-sectarian Buddhist movement Scotland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudarshanaloka, Sweden, which seeks promote the practice of Buddhism in a form Taraloka, TBMSG, Tiratanaloka, USA, Veganism, appropriate to the modern world. Vegetarianism, Video, Wildmind, Windhorse, Women, Yatras, Youth… FWBO News Also including: FWBO News aims to present a selection of stories illustrating some of what is going on across our network of FWBO Jobs, Feature articles, FWBO Resources, email centres, businesses, communities, arts events, and individual subscriptions, search facilities, and extensive links. projects. FWBO & TBMSG News Since most of them do their reports to one another in Chinese, its a little difficult for me to see how well they are getting on. They News and views from around the Friends of the Western Buddhist certainly seem to enjoy it so far...! Order (FWBO) and Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Sahayaka Gana (TBMSG). My impressions so far are that most of them found the idea of daily check-ins with a "Dharma buddy" a little threatening, all the more so when I suggested they did it with another member of the group rather than their spouses! Over the next few days, in the evenings, we will Thursday, December 06, 2007 be meeting up for Dharma discussion and study, exploring aspects of the 'unity of Buddhism'.!" An Urban Retreat in Malaysia Click here for background information about Urban Retreats , as compiled by the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. Dhammaloka will soon be visiting China, and we hope to bring you news from there as well. Wednesday, December 05, 2007 News from the frontline – in India… Dhammaloka, a German Order Member, has for many years been visiting both China and Malaysia, in both places slowly creating groups interested in the FWBO. He has recently left on anther tour, and sends us this report from Malaysia – “Two days ago some 15 or 18 friends from Malacca, ranging in age from the late 20s to the 60s, embarked on an "Urban Retreat", probably the first ever to be held in Malaysia. Most of these friends have been practising in various contexts, and often for a good number of years. There are some experienced meditators amongst The Nagarjuna Training Institute in them, while others have done little sitting practice. We did a India is the FWBO/TBMSG’s largest centre there. It runs ongoing weekend retreat to introduce the practice, and then began the urban year-long residential courses in Buddhism and social work, training retreat proper. I'll be curious to see how they respond... up to sixty young men and women per year, from all over India. At FWBO and TBMSG news stories October - December 2007 page 1 of 31 the end of the years training they graduates may either stay on for a from Kollam, Kottayam & Alapuzha (Alleppy) districts and second year or return home. Many have done so, and in this way a conducting day retreats at the center and elsewhere. They organized a widespread network of local groups across India affiliated to the programme for Nagashuri & Saddhajyoti who visited last month – TBMSG have sprung up all over India. Once home, the Nagarjuna see report on FWBO News (forthcoming). graduates do what they can to spread the Dhamma given their need to earn money, help their family, and meet the many other demands Tamilnadu of Indian life. Subhash, Manimaran, and Ganesh organised a three days residential retreat at Villupuram in Central Tamilnadu. Vivekaratna led the In April this year the FWBO Growth Fund gave money to support retreat, which was on the Three Jewels, and 25 persons participated. for a year twelve Nagarjuna graduates in five widely-separated They were very pleased because they managed to raise money Indian States – Orissa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and locally to meet all the food expenditure of the retreat – and obtained Rajasthan. The application was for funds to support twice as many, the acconodation free of cost from a local charity. This is TBMSG’s but as the FWBO Growth Fund is small and already over-subscribed first residential retreat in Tamilnadu. There is good teamwork six times over it was unable to assist! between Subhash, Manimaran & Ganesh. Vivekaratna, Director of Nagarjuna, has recently sent us this report. Karnataka Many other Dhamma projects are also going on across India, not In September Satyam single-handedly organised a retreat in least the recently-concluded and very successful Dhammakranti Gulbarga. 23 persons participated in the retreat, and Padmavir & retreat at Bodh Gaya, which had 1,500 people attending - we hope to Dhammadarshi led it. Once again, Satyam raised donations locally to bring reports of these soon. meet the retreat expenditures. He is conducting regular dhamma activities, mostly working in Bijapur, Bider and Gulberga districts, as Orissa well as keeping regular contact with ex-trainees from Karnataka and Jadumani conducted two seminars in Sumbalpur for college students encourging them to help in spreading the Dhamma. on the Psychological Effects of Caste and Jaldhar & Panchanand supported him. Around 60 senior college students participated in Rajasthan both seminars. There is good team work among these three ex- Rambabu is working among the Meena community which is a tribal trainees. They inspired people to participate in the recent community. He is especially active in Bharatpur, Dhaulpur, Sawai Dhammakranti retreat at Bodhagaya – where five persons became Madhopur, and Alwar Districts. In addition he has regular interaction Dhammamitras through their work. with Ambedkarite activists and gives lectures, leads Puja, and clarifies the doubts of the persons he meets. He is specifically Kerala emphasizing social transformation through Dr. Ambedkar’s thought Subhash, who was training till August 07, has now joined Binojbabu – using Ambedkar’s emphasis on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as who had already started Dhamma work in Kollam district in Kerala. Buddhist values for the transformation of society. They have established a Dhamma centre in Mynagapally in Kolam distt – financed entirely by donations from local people. They are This is only a tiny glimpse of the many Dhamma and social projects meeting individually and collectively with Ambedkarite activists the FWBO/TBMSG runs in India. FWBO and TBMSG news stories October - December 2007 page 2 of 31 Tuesday, December 04, 2007 which, in effect, catalogues how meditation is influencing more and more people’s lives across the Westen world. Celebrating Wildmind If you’d like to get involved, besides the obvious possibility of taking one of their courses, they have an active translation program, and already have most of the site available in five languages besides English – Chinese , Spanish , French , Russian , and Polish . We'd like to celebrate Wildmind . It describes itself as “online guide to Next comes Portuguese , already part-completed - but they would meditation”. That sounds very simple – but actually, it’s much more welcome your donations to assist them in this, and also extending the than that... Chinese section of the site. If you dig a bit deeper into their extensive website you’ll find they go Enjoy! on to say “Our mission is to benefit the world by promoting awareness and compassion through the practice of Buddhist meditation”. Wildmind is a huge resource for anyone with an interest in contemporary Buddhist meditation, specifically as practiced and Sunday, December 02, 2007 taught by the FWBO. Created by Bodhipaksa, a member of the Western Buddhist Order, in the year 2000, it is run by him and a small team out of their offices in Newmarket, New Hampshire. FWBO news around the world There’s jewels scattered throughout their site, and FWBO News FWBO News does its best to present a selection of news from across would like to highlight just three of these – as well as let you know the Movement. Given that the FWBO and TBMSG have some 80 one way you can support them. Buddhist centres around the world plus many other Dharma and social projects, this is not an easy job and it’s impossible here to let First is their wonderful series of ‘ Quotes of the Month ’ – this you know everything happening across the Movement. We would month’s being Esther Lederer’s “Hanging onto resentment is letting therefore like to take this opportunity to present some of the other, someone you despise live rent-free in your head.” more local, web-based newsletters produced by different centres and FWBO projects. Second is the Wildmind Newsletter , just reaching its fifth anniversary - a treasure trove of insight, teaching, and tit-bits…! You can subscribe and have it delivered monthly to your inbox, or browse Aryaloka, our their extensive archives.